The NSW bill, introduced by Coogee state Liberal MP Bruce Notley-Smith, will now be debated in the Legislative Council as soon as this afternoon or tomorrow, before it can be signed off into law.

However, with the full support of Premier Mike Baird, Opposition Leader John Robertson and all other MPs behind Notley-Smith’s bill, it’s almost guaranteed a smooth passage in the upper house.

Notley-Smith’s bill seeks to amend the Criminal Records Act 1991. Under the amendments, NSW residents could apply to extinguish convictions made before the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1984, and up until 2003 when the discriminatory age of consent — for example, when a 17-year-old gay male was liable for prosecution for having consensual sex with a 16-year-old male — ended.

Once the bill passes the upper house, successful applications to have convictions extinguished means it would be like a quashed conviction or a pardon, and the person would not be required to disclose the conviction and a public authority would not be able to disclose the conviction.

The process to have those convictions extinguished is also outlined in the bill (more details here).

There also plans afoot in South Australia to introduce similar legislation.